The present volume is a collection of 14 papers written by several international scholars who examine a variety of descriptive and theoretical issues topical in current phonetic and phonological research. This is done through a meticulous analysis of a rich body of data, often obtained experimentally, taken from such languages as Gothic, Sanskrit, Old Chinese, Malaylam, Japanese, Polish, Hungarian, English and Portuguese as well as through theoretical considerations which carry broader implications for the study of sound systems.